Software Functionality Revealed in Detail
We’ve opened the hood on every major category of enterprise software. Learn about thousands of features and functions, and how enterprise software really works.Get free sample report

Compare Software Solutions
Visit the TEC store to compare leading software solutions by funtionality, so that you can make accurate and informed software purchasing decisions.Compare Now

Customer relationship management (CRM) focuses on the retention of customers by collecting data from all customer interactions with a company from all access points (by phone, mail, or Web, or in the field). The company can then use this data for specific business purposes by taking a customer-centric rather than a product-centric approach. CRM applications are front-end tools designed to facilitate the capture, consolidation, analysis, and enterprise-wide dissemination of data from existing and potential customers. This process occurs throughout the marketing, sales, and service stages, with the objective of better understanding one’s customers and anticipating their interest in an enterprise’s products or services.

Any technology tied to the financial health of a business generates heated debate, and customer relationship management (CRM) is no exception. CRM has been bolstered, burned, praised, and maligned. One of the most animated arguments has centered on the “where” of CRM: whether to deploy the technologies in-house or “rent” them, outsourcing their implementation to an application service provider.

Selecting a new enterprise customer relationship management (CRM) solution is an undertaking that requires careful planning and managed execution. And in fact, there are a number of common mistakes that organizations make. Failing to execute the selection process in an objective and structured fashion can be an expensive financial mistake—as well as a fatal hit to your professional reputation.

Choosing an on-demand customer relationship management (CRM) vendor can be a daunting task, especially for the price conscious consumer who lacks the budget for intensive research. A true CRM vendor should have pre-integrated sales, marketing, and customer support. Look for easy access to software free trials, and beware of hidden fees. Ultimately, researching the alternatives can save your company up to 50 percent of a solution’s total cost of ownership.

BizAutomation CRM + Business Management is an all-in-one e-business suite designed to serve the end-to-end requirements of small businesses that have Microsoft Exchange on their network, or that want to subscribe to the suite via one of our hosted Exchange partners. All modules are offered in their entirety and can be used as needed, without the need to pay for add-on modules. It's the only business suite that leverages a 100 percent browser-based Web interface via Outlook Web Access (OWA) and regular Outlook.

In May, Access Commerce, a French CRM vendor, announced the opening of its first USA office in San Diego, California. During Explore 2000, QAD’s annual user conference, Access Commerce announced the release of eCameleon for MFG/PRO.

Using a knowledge base in the selection process can reduce the time, risk and cost of procuring technology. Well constructed knowledge bases that are used in a tested selection methodology reduce the RFI process from months to weeks, eliminate data quality issues and allow an apples to apples comparison of vendor offerings.

Zavanti CRM provides web-based sales and marketing management, delivering e-marketing and sales automation together with full lead, contact, and sales management in a single solution. Zavanti CRM is fully integrated with Zavanti ERP for financial control of a business.